Changing radio bearer configuration or state

ABSTRACT

A first one of a wireless communication device (22) and a base station (20) performs a method for applying a change to a configuration or state of a radio bearer. The radio bearer supports the transfer of data over a radio connection between the wireless communication device (22) and the base station (20) with defined data transfer characteristics. The method includes performing a handshake with a second one of the wireless communication device (22) and the base station (20) to agree on a time to synchronously apply the change at the wireless communication device (22) and the base station (20). The method also includes, in accordance with the agreement, synchronously applying the change at that time.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/238,909,filed Feb. 14, 2014 (published as US 20150181640), which is a 35 U.S.C.§ 371 National Phase Entry Application from PCT/SE2014/050010, filedJan. 7, 2014, designating the United States, and also claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/758,622, filed Jan. 30, 2013. Thedisclosures of these applications are incorporated herein in theirentirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present application generally relates to a radio bearer andspecifically relates to applying a change to the configuration or stateof the radio bearer at a wireless communication device and a basestation.

BACKGROUND

Many wireless communication systems now support multiple kinds ofservices, including for instance circuit switched voice services, packetdata services, high data rate services, etc. These different serviceshave very different characteristics. Moreover, different applicationsusing the same general service may nonetheless impose different demandson that service. For instance, an internet browsing application may besupported by a packet data service that has a variable delay andthroughput, while a multimedia streaming application may be supported bya packet data service having a relatively constant average throughputand low delay.

A wireless communication system supports these varying services throughthe use of radio bearers. A radio bearer supports the transfer of data,e.g., user data, over a radio connection between a wirelesscommunication device and a base station with defined data transfercharacteristics (e.g., with a defined quality of service, QoS).Different radio bearers are configured to provide different definedtransfer characteristics.

Under some circumstances, though, the configuration or state of a givenradio bearer may need to be changed, e.g., in order to optimize theradio bearer for the current requirements of the wireless communicationdevice. A change in the configuration or state of a radio bearerinvolves, as non-limiting examples in a context where the system is aHigh Speed Packet Access (HSPA) system, adding or removing the radiobearer, moving the radio bearer between a dedicated physical channel(DPCH) and enhanced uplink (EUL)/high speed (HS), changing the spreadingfactor and/or bit rate, and/or adding or removing connectioncapabilities (e.g., EUL 2 ms/10 ms TTI, Dual Cell or multi-carrier,64QAM, MIMO, CPC, DL enhanced L2, UL improved L2).

Consider the specific example of a radio bearer configuration changerelating to a change in the transmission time interval (TTI) of a radiobearer. The TTI is a radio bearer parameter that defines the interval oftime in which a transmission occurs over the air interface. In somesystems, for instance, a set of one or more so-called transport blocksare fed from a medium access control (MAC) layer to the physical layer,and the TTI is the time it takes to transmit that set of one or moretransport blocks over the air interface.

Regardless, a longer TTI (e.g., 10 ms or above) proves more robust inthe face of poor channel conditions. On the other hand, a shorter TTI(e.g., 2 ms) reduces latency, which is required to provide good end-userexperience when supporting mobile broadband services. Because of this,it is desirable to use a shorter TTI over as wide an area as possible.However, at least in current 3G networks, a substantial number of largemacro cells still exist. With a macro cell being so large, it generallyproves challenging for the cell to support a TTI as short as 2 ms overits entire coverage area. In such environments, it may be necessary tofall back to a longer III, e.g., 10 ms, when a wireless communicationdevice approaches the cell boundary. This however requires that a radiobearer configuration change be triggered when the device approaches thecell boundary, and that the change be applied.

Regardless of the particular type of radio bearer configuration or statechange, triggering and applying this change at an optimal time provesimportant for ensuring high system performance. In order to trigger andapply a radio bearer configuration change at the optimal time, thecriteria used to trigger the change should be accurate and the procedureused to actually apply the change should be fast and robust.

With regard to the criteria used to trigger the change, at least someradio bearer configuration changes (like the III switch described above)are triggered depending on the uplink coverage of a wirelesscommunication device. Known approaches measure this coverage as afunction of how long the device operates at maximum output power. Whenthe device operates at maximum output power for a certain amount of time(the time-to-trigger, TTT), an event (e.g., Event 6d in HSPA EUL) istriggered. This TTT is configured by a node in the network, e.g., aradio network controller (RNC). When the RNC receives this event fromthe device, it considers the device to be running out of coverage andtriggers a radio bearer configuration change.

With regard to the procedure used to implement a radio bearer state orconfiguration change, different procedures can be used depending onwhether the source and target configuration/state are compatible. Ifthey are compatible, then both the device and base station may be ableto apply the change at different times (i.e., non-synchronously) withoutthe radio connection failing. On the other hand, if they are notcompatible, then the device and base station should apply the change atthe same time (i.e., synchronously) in order for the radio connection tosurvive.

In known approaches to synchronous application of a radio bearer stateor configuration change, a higher-layer (e.g., a Radio Resource Control,RRC, layer or layer 3) centrally coordinates application of the changeto occur synchronously at the wireless communication device and basestation. A higher-layer message, for instance, is sent from a radionetwork controller (RNC) to both the device and base station orderingthe change and specifying a future point in time (called “activationtime”) at which the change is to be applied synchronously. Thisactivation time is defined by a connection frame number (CFN). The CFNis a counter 0 . . . 255 (known by RNC, base station and device) whichis stepped every radio frame (every 10 milliseconds) and thus has a wraparound every 2.56 seconds (256*10 ms). The RNC will decide on how farahead the activation time shall be set based on the expected time toforward the change order message to the device and the base station.Typically the time to forward the order message via the air interface tothe device is the limiting factor. Indeed, due to occasional loss ofthis message and its acknowledgement, the activation time must be setconservatively (i.e., longer) to allow for several retransmissions. Thatsaid, the range of the CFN dictates that the RNC cannot set theactivation time to be more than 2.56 seconds (minus some margin) ahead.If this time is not enough to successfully forward the order to thedevice, the change will typically fail and the call is dropped.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments herein improve the triggering and/or applying ofa change to a configuration or state of a radio bearer, such as a changein the length of a TTI of the radio bearer, as compared to knownapproaches.

More particularly, embodiments herein include a method for applying achange to a configuration or state of a radio bearer. The radio bearersupports the transfer of data over a radio connection between a wirelesscommunication device and a base station with defined data transfercharacteristics. The method is performed by a first one of the deviceand the base station. The method entails performing a handshake with asecond one of the wireless communication device and the base station toagree on a time to synchronously apply the change at the wirelesscommunication device and the base station. The method then includes, inaccordance with the agreement, synchronously applying the change at thattime.

Performing this handshake advantageously obviates the need for an RNC tocentrally coordinate synchronous application of the change (e.g., at arelatively high layer, such as the RRC layer). Having the device andbase station perform this handshake thereby enables a faster and morerobust procedure for change application than having an RNC centrallycoordinate change application.

In any event, the handshake in some embodiments includes the wirelesscommunication device sending a ready signal to the base stationindicating to the base station that the wireless communication device isready to apply said change. Additionally or alternatively, the handshakeincludes the base station sending the device a signal ordering thedevice to perform the change. Regardless of the particular types ofsignals exchanged, in some embodiments, the specific time at which thedevice and the base station agree to synchronously apply the change isrelative to a time at which a signal utilized for the handshake istransmitted or received.

In some embodiments, the ready signal described above comprises anout-of-band control signal transmitted without an accompanying datachannel. This out-of-band control signal is nominally configured toindicate one or more characteristics associated with such anaccompanying data channel but indicates one or more characteristics thatare not expected to be or that cannot be associated with anyaccompanying data channel. For example, in one embodiment, theout-of-band control signal indicates a transport format combination thatis not expected to be or that cannot be a transport format combinationfor any accompanying data channel.

Alternatively or additionally, the order signal described abovecomprises a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel, HS-DSCH, Shared ControlChannel, HS-SCCH, order (or simply “HS Order” for short).

In at least some embodiments, performing the handshake comprisesinitiating the handshake responsive to receiving a change command from aradio network controller directing that the change be applied as soon aspossible and that the handshake be initiated. In this case, though, thechange command does not indicate a specific time for application of thechange. Corresponding processing by the radio network controller therebyincludes generating the change command and transmitting the changecommand towards at least one of the device and the base station.

Alternatively, performing the handshake comprises determining toinitiate the handshake in response to determining that a set of one ormore criteria has been met pertaining to one or more metrics computed bythe wireless communication device. For example, the one or more metricsin some embodiments include a power headroom metric that indicates anamount of power available at the wireless communication device fortransmitting data to the base station. In this case, processing hereinincludes evaluating whether the power headroom metric has fallen below adefined threshold for at least a defined length of time. If so, it isdetermined to initiate the handshake.

Other embodiments herein correspondingly improve the triggering of aradio bearer configuration or state change when that triggering is basedon a wireless communication device's uplink coverage. These embodimentsmore specifically improve a device's uplink coverage triggering of sucha change, by broadly basing triggering on the device's power headroom,e.g., rather than on event 6d.

For example, embodiments herein include a method implemented by awireless communication device for changing a configuration or state of aradio bearer. The method includes computing a power headroom metricindicating an amount of power available at the wireless communicationdevice for transmitting data to the base station. The method alsoincludes, responsive to the power headroom metric falling below adefined threshold for at least a defined length of time, autonomouslyinitiating a change of the configuration or state of the radio bearer.This method in some embodiments is performed without the handshakedescribed above being implemented, but in other embodiments is performedin order to trigger that handshake.

In some embodiments, initiating the change in the method thereforeincludes generating a power headroom report from the power headroommetric and transmitting that report to a network node that is configuredto order the change responsive to that report. This power headroomreport reflects a coverage measurement rather than a schedulingcriteria.

In one or more embodiments, computing the metric comprises performinginstantaneous measurements of a power headroom of the wirelesscommunication device indicating an amount of power instantaneouslyavailable at the device for transmitting data to the base station.Computation then includes computing the power headroom metric byfiltering the instantaneous measurements in accordance with anexponential filter defined by a specific filter constant.

Embodiments herein also include corresponding apparatus configured toperform the processing above.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the features,advantages, and contexts summarized above, and those familiar with thewireless communication technology will recognize additional features andadvantages upon reading the following detailed description and uponviewing the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a wireless communication system thatincludes a wireless communication device, a base station, and a radionetwork controller configured according to one or more embodimentsherein.

FIG. 2 is a logic flow diagram of a method performed by a first one ofthe wireless communication device and the base station for applying achange to a configuration or state of a radio bearer, according to oneor more embodiments.

FIGS. 3A-3C are signaling diagrams illustrating alternative embodimentsfor performing a handshake between a wireless communication device and abase station.

FIGS. 4A-4C are signaling diagrams illustrating alternative embodimentsfor triggering and/or initiating a handshake between a wirelesscommunication device and a base station.

FIG. 5 is a logic flow diagram of a method performed by a radio networkcontroller for changing a configuration or state of a radio bearer,according to one or more embodiments herein.

FIG. 6 is a logic flow diagram of a method performed by a wirelesscommunication device for changing a configuration or state of a radiobearer, according to one or more embodiments herein.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a mobile communication network in which aswitch between different transmission time intervals (TTIs) isperformed, according to one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a call flow diagram illustrating embodiments from FIGS. 3C and4A in the context of a TTI switch.

FIG. 9 is a call flow diagram illustrating embodiments from FIGS. 3A, 3Band 4B in the context of a TTI switch.

FIG. 10 is a call flow diagram illustrating embodiments from FIGS. 3Cand 4C in the context of a TTI switch.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a wireless communication device accordingto one or more embodiments.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a network node (e.g., a base station or anRNC) according to one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a wireless communication system 10 according to oneor more embodiments. As shown, the system 10 includes a core network(CN) 12 and a radio access network (RAN) 14. The CN 12 communicativelycouples the RAN 14 to one or more external networks, such as a publicswitched telephone network (PSTN) 16, a packet data network (PDN) 18such as the Internet, or the like. The RAN 14 includes one or more basestations 20 configured to wirelessly communicate with one or morewireless communication devices 22 (e.g., user equipment, UE, ormachine-to-machine devices) (also referred to herein as simply“devices”). In at least some embodiments, the RAN 14 further includesone or more radio network controllers (RNC) 24. The RAN 14 in someembodiments includes different types of radio access networkdeployments, such as macro access point deployments and pico accesspoint deployments, each of which is controlled by a base station as usedherein.

The system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 supports different services throughthe use of radio bearers. A radio bearer supports the transfer of data,e.g., user data, over a radio connection between a wirelesscommunication device 22 and a base station 20 with defined data transfercharacteristics (e.g., with a defined quality of service, QoS). A changein the configuration or state of a radio bearer (generally referred toherein as simply “the change”) involves, as non-limiting examples in acontext where the system is a High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) system,adding or removing the radio bearer, moving the radio bearer between adedicated physical channel (DPCH) and enhanced uplink (EUL)/high speed(HS), changing the spreading factor and/or bit rate, and/or adding orremoving connection capabilities (e.g., EUL 2 ms/10 ms TTI, Dual Cell ormulti-carrier, 64QAM, MIMO, CPC, DL enhanced L2, UL improved L2).

One or more embodiments herein improve the triggering and/or applying ofa change to a configuration or state of a radio bearer, such as a changein TTI.

FIG. 2 illustrates one or more embodiments of a method performed by afirst one of a wireless communication device 22 and a base station 20 inthis regard. The method is performed for applying a change to aconfiguration or state of a radio bearer. The method comprisesperforming a handshake with a second one of the device 22 and the basestation 20 to agree on a time to synchronously apply the change at thedevice 22 and the base station 20 (e.g., at some time after both thedevice 22 and base station 20 are ready to apply the change) (Block100). The method then comprises, in accordance with the agreement,synchronously applying the change at that time (Block 110).

Notably, performing the handshake as shown in FIG. 2 obviates the needfor some other node (e.g., the RNC 24) to centrally coordinate the timeat which the change is to be synchronously applied. That is, thehandshake as used herein means a two-party handshake whereby the device22 and base station 20 as the two parties to the handshake exchangeinformation in order to autonomously agree on the time to synchronouslyapply the change, without some other node dictating that time in acentral manner as is conventional. Such exchange of information may beperformed in any manner, including for example in the form of an orderfrom one party to the handshake (whereby the order either commands orrequests the change) and a resulting confirmation or acknowledgement ofthe order from the other party to the handshake. Regardless, as comparedto this conventional approach, having the device 22 and the base station20 perform the handshake enables a faster and more robust procedure forchange application, especially when the source and targetconfiguration/state are incompatible.

For example, when the bearer configuration or status change entails aswitch from a shorter transmission time interval (TTI) to a longer TTIupon nearing a cell boundary, the switch to the longer TTI in someembodiments is delayed longer than in conventional approaches. This isbecause conventional approaches must conservatively set the activationtime for the switch, as described above. Delaying the switch to thelonger TTI avoids underutilizing the shorter TTI when channel conditionswould otherwise allow use of such shorter TTI to reduce latency.

In one or more embodiments, the device 22 and the base station 20exchange one or more signals as part of the handshake. In oneembodiment, for example, the handshake includes the device 22 sending asignal to the base station 20 indicating to the base station 20 that thedevice 22 is ready to apply the change. Additionally or alternatively,the handshake includes the base station 20 sending the device 22 asignal ordering the device 22 to perform the change. Regardless of theparticular types of signals exchanged, in some embodiments, the specifictime at which the device 22 and the base station 20 agree tosynchronously apply the change is relative to a time at which a signalutilized for the handshake is transmitted or received.

Consider, for example, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A. As shown, thebase station 20 initiates the handshake with the device 22 by sendingthe device 22 an order signal 26 ordering (i.e., commanding orrequesting) the device 22 to perform the change. The order signal 26 inthis embodiment implicitly indicates to the device 22 that the basestation 20 is ready to perform the change, i.e., at a time when thedevice 22 is also ready. Responsive to the order signal 26, and upon thedevice 22 itself being ready to apply the change, the device 22 sendsthe base station 20 a ready signal 28 indicating to the base station 20that the device 22 is also ready to apply the change. This ready signal28 thereby effectively confirms or acknowledges the order signal 26 fromthe base station 20. Both the device 22 and base station 20 areconfigured to understand that this ready signal 28 concludes thehandshake and thereby formalizes agreement between the device 22 andbase station 20 on when to apply the change. That is, the device 22determines that such an agreement has been made responsive to sendingthe ready signal 28 and the base station 20 determines that such anagreement has been made responsive to receiving the ready signal 28. Thedevice 22 and base station 20 agree to apply the change at a definedtime after both the device 22 and base station 20 have indicatedreadiness for change application, e.g., at a specific time definedrelative to when the ready signal 28 is transmitted by the device 22 orreceived by the base station 20. For example, this specific,“agreed-upon” time in one or more embodiments is defined to be the timeat which the next transmission time interval (TTI) starts after theready signal 28 is transmitted or received. Where different TTIconfigurations exist (e.g., 2 ms or 10 ms), this next TTI is definedwith respect to a certain TTI configuration (e.g., 10 ms).

FIG. 3B shows another embodiment that extends the handshake of FIG. 3Ato include the base station 20 sending an acknowledgement signal 30 tothe device 22. The acknowledgement signal 30 acknowledges the basestation's receipt of the ready signal 28. In this embodiment, the device22 and base station 20 are configured to understand that theacknowledgement signal 30, not the ready signal 28, formalizes theagreement on when to apply the change. The device 22 therefore refrainsfrom applying the change unless and until it receives theacknowledgement signal 30. This protects the device 22 from improperlyapplying the change in the scenario where poor uplink channel conditionsprevent the base station 20 from receiving the device's ready signal andcorrespondingly applying the change. The device 22 is configured tore-transmit the ready signal 28 if it has not received theacknowledgement signal 30 within a predefined length of time sincesending the ready signal 28. This inherently means that the agreed-upontime for synchronous change application is defined relative to when theacknowledgement signal 30 is transmitted by the base station 20 orreceived by the device 22.

As yet another example, consider the embodiment shown in FIG. 3C. Asshown, the device 22 initiates the handshake with the base station 20 bysending the ready signal 28 to the base station 20 indicating to thebase station 20 that the change criteria are met and the device 22 isready to apply the change. In some sense, then, this ready signal 28effectively requests the change. Regardless, responsive to the readysignal 28, and of course upon the base station 20 itself being ready toapply the change, the base station 20 sends the device 22 an ordersignal 32, ordering (i.e., commanding or requesting) the device 22 toperform the change. The order signal 32 also in this embodimentimplicitly indicates to the device 22 that the base station 20 is readyto perform the change. Moreover, since the base station 20 sends theorder signal 32 responsive to receipt of the ready signal 28, the ordersignal 32 implicitly acknowledges the base station's receipt of theready signal 28 and thereby confirms the device's effective request forthe change. Both the device 22 and base station 20 are configured tounderstand that this order signal 32 formalizes agreement between thedevice 22 and base station 20 to apply the change at a defined timeafter both the device 22 and base station 20 have indicated readinessfor change application, e.g., at a specific time defined relative towhen the order signal 32 is transmitted by the base station 20 orreceived by the device 22.

No particular format or structure is required for signals utilized inthe handshake. However, in at least some embodiments, one or more of theutilized signals are formatted or structured in a particular way inorder to facilitate the robustness of the signal(s) against transmissionerrors. Facilitating the robustness of the signal(s) translates intofast change application, because the device 22 and base station 20 canaggressively agree on a specific time that occurs soon.

In one or more embodiments, for example, the ready signal 28 comprisesan out-of-band control signal that is transmitted without anaccompanying data channel, so as to be a “stand-alone” out-of-bandcontrol signal. The out-of-band control signal is nominally configuredto indicate one or more characteristics associated with such anaccompanying data channel (e.g., so as to describe what is beingtransmitted on the data channel). This means that when the out-of-bandcontrol signal is transmitted with an accompanying data channel, thecontrol signal serves its nominal function of indicating the one or morecharacteristics associated with the data channel (and does not serve asthe ready signal 28). By contrast, when the out-of-band control signalis transmitted without an accompanying data channel, the control signalnecessarily cannot serve its nominal function anymore and instead servesas the ready signal 28. Even though not serving its nominal function,the out-of-band control signal may nonetheless be formatted orstructured as if serving its nominal function. Because of the nominalimportance of the out-of-band control signal, e.g., for decoding thedata on the data channel, the out-of-band control signal is alreadyrobust in and of itself for guarding against transmission errors. In oneor more embodiments where the system is an HSPA system, for instance,the ready signal 28 is realized as an enhanced dedicated physicalcontrol channel (E-DPCCH) that is transmitted without an accompanyingenhanced dedicated physical data channel (E-DPDCH).

Additionally or alternatively to realizing the ready signal 28 as astand-alone out-of-band control signal, the ready signal 28 in one ormore embodiments is realized as an out-of-band control signal that istransmitted over a predefined number of TTIs greater than one.Transmitting the out-of-band control signal over multiple TTIs in thisway advantageously increases the robustness and thereby the reliabilityof the ready signal 28.

As yet another way to increase the robustness of the ready signal 28,the ready signal 28 in one or more additional or alternative embodimentsis realized as an out-of-band control signal that indicates one or morecharacteristics that are not expected to be or that cannot be associatedwith any accompanying data channel. For example, the ready signal 28 insome embodiments is realized as an out-of-band control signal thatindicates a transport format combination (TFC) that is not expected tobe or that cannot be a TFC for any accompanying data channel. In one ormore embodiments where the system is an HSPA system, for instance, theready signal 28 is realized as an E-DPCCH that indicates an EnhancedDedicated Channel (E-DCH) TFC that is not expected to be or that cannotbe associated with an E-DPDCH. The E-DPCCH may indicate such E-DCH TFCwith a special value for the E-TFCI field (7 bits). For instance, in theE-TFCI Table 0 for the 2 ms TTI as specified in 3GPP TS 25.321, Annex B,the E-TFCI 120 is labeled as N/A, meaning that this value cannot beassociated with an accompanying E-DPDCH and therefore may be used forrealizing the ready signal 28. Alternatively, the ready signal 28 may berealized using the highest E-TFCI value (corresponding to the highestdata rate) that can be associated with an accompanying E-DPDCH but thatis not expected to be so associated given the current network load, thecurrent radio capability, or the current radio environment.

In other embodiments, the ready signal 28 comprises a particular in-bandcontrol signal. In one or more embodiments where the system is an HSPAsystem, for instance, the ready signal 28 may be realized as an“extended” scheduling indicator (SI) (e.g., an 18 bit Protocol DataUnit, PDU) or other small message on the E-DPDCH. Regardless, in someembodiments, this in-band control signal is transmitted only veryoccasionally and is correspondingly over-dimensioned in transmit powerin order to increase its robustness.

Additionally or alternatively, the order signal 26, acknowledgementsignal 30, and/or the order signal plus acknowledgement signal 32 inFIGS. 3A-3C are realized as a High Speed Shared Control Channel(HS-SCCH) order in one or more embodiments.

Regardless of the particular details about how to realize signalsutilized for the handshake, the handshake may be triggered and/orinitiated in any number of ways. FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a few examplesin this regard.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4A, for instance, either the device22 or base station 20 directly initiates the handshake (e.g., of FIG.3A, 3B, or 3C) responsive to receiving a change command 34 from anothernode (e.g., RNC 24). This change command 34 directs that the change isto be applied as soon as possible and that the handshake is to beinitiated. Notably, the change command 34 directs this withoutindicating a specific time that the change is to be applied. That is,the change command 34 instead just orders the change to be performed,without dictating the exact time of change application.

Referring briefly to FIG. 5, processing by the other node (e.g., RNC 24)correspondingly includes generating the change command 34 directing thatthe change to the configuration or state of the radio bearer is to beapplied as soon as possible and that the handshake between the device 22and the base station 20 (to agree on a time to synchronously apply thechange) is to be initiated (Block 200). Again, the change command 34does not indicate a specific time for application of the change.Processing then further includes transmitting the change command towardsat least one of the device 22 and the base station 20 (Block 210).

In one or more embodiments, this change command 34 comprises ahigher-layer message (e.g., a Radio Resource Control Radio BearerReconfiguration message) directing that the configuration or status ofthe radio bearer be changed. In doing so, the higher-layer messagedirects the change to be applied and directs the handshake to beinitiated in order for the specific time for such application to bedecided. In at least some sense, then, the higher-layer messageindicates that application of the change is to be non-synchronized froma higher-layer (e.g., RNC or layer 3) perspective, but that suchapplication is indeed to be synchronized from a lower-layer perspective.

In at least some embodiments, the other node (e.g., RNC 24) in FIG. 4Atransmits the change command 34 responsive to a trigger 36 from thedevice 22. FIG. 4B illustrates an alternative embodiment. As shown inthis alternative, the device 22 transmits a trigger 38 to the basestation 20 rather than the other node (e.g., RNC 24). Responsive to thistrigger, the base station 20 determines to directly initiate thehandshake (Block 40). Upon such determination, for example, the basestation 20 initiates the handshake of FIG. 3A or 3B, by sending theorder signal 26 to the device 22.

In some embodiments, the trigger 36, 38 in FIG. 4A or 4B is a signalthat the device 22 transmits indicating the occurrence of a particularevent. For example, in HSPA EUL embodiments, such an event may be Event6d, which is an event indicating that the device 22 has operated atmaximum output power for a certain amount of time (the time-to-triggerTTT) and thereby serves as a coverage measurement for the device 22.However, the use of Event 6d does not allow for coverage gains achievedusing multiple Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) retransmissions.HARQ retransmission is a very powerful tool for extending coverage bycombining multiple transmissions of the same data before decoding. Ifthe device 22 is not moving very fast, Event 6d is triggered as soon asthe device 22 is transmitting at maximum power, not giving HARQretransmission the chance to work. On the other hand, a fairly longtime-to-trigger (TTT) is needed for Event 6d to avoid switching evenearlier due to fast fading. For a fast moving device 22, there is aproblem with a long TTT in that the coverage may deteriorate so quicklythat by the time Event 6d is triggered, the device 22 may no longer beable to reach the base station 20.

In one or more alternative embodiments, therefore, the trigger 36, 38 inFIG. 4A or 4B is a signal that the device transmits 22 indicating that aset of one or more criteria has been met pertaining to one or moremetrics computed by the device 22. More particularly in this regard, thedevice 22 evaluates whether this set of one or more criteria has beenmet. In response to determining that the set has been met, the devicedetermines to indirectly initiate the change (and thereby thehandshake). In the embodiments of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the device 22indirectly initiates the change (and thereby the handshake) bytransmitting the trigger 36, 38 to a network node (e.g., the basestation 20 or RNC 24) that will cause the network node to order thechange (as in FIG. 4A) or directly initiate the handshake (as in FIG.4B).

FIG. 4C illustrates yet another alternative embodiment where the device22 directly initiates the change (and thereby the handshake), ratherthan only indirectly initiating by transmitting the trigger 36, 38.Specifically, the device 22 evaluates whether the set of one or morecriteria has been met (Block 42), as described above. In response todetermining that the criteria set has been met, the device 22 itselfdetermines to directly initiate the handshake (Block 44), withouttransmitting any sort of trigger to another node that is configured toinitiate the handshake responsive to that trigger. Upon suchdetermination, for example, the device 22 initiates the handshake ofFIG. 3C, by sending the ready signal 28 to the base station 20.

In at least some embodiments, the device determines to indirectlyinitiate the change (e.g., in FIG. 4A or 4B) or to directly initiate thechange (e.g., in FIG. 4C) based on the device's power headroom ratherthan on Event 6d. That is, the one or more metrics computed by thedevice 22 as described above pertains to the device's power headroom.Basing initiation of the change on power headroom advantageouslyresolves the above problems demonstrated with respect to Event 6d. Oneexample is the detection of coverage limitation when the device is nottransmitting any data. When the physical control channels alone areconsuming 99% of the device's transmission power, there is not enoughpower remaining for transmitting any traffic even though Event 6d is notyet triggered. If, all of a sudden, the device is in need of a handover,the required RRC signaling would not be able to get through to thenetwork and the connection would drop as a result. Another example isthe use of HARQ retransmission for extending coverage. It isadvantageous for latency purpose to not use any kind of retransmissionwhen the device is not power limited. But, when the device has problemsreaching the network with one transmission, multiple transmissions atfull power will extend the coverage. If Event 6d is used, it will betriggered too quickly by one transmission at full power, making itimpossible to use retransmissions consistently for coverage extension.The use of power headroom does not suffer from this problem. FIG. 6illustrates processing performed by the device 22 in this regard.

As shown in FIG. 6, processing by the device 22 includes computing apower headroom metric indicating an amount of power available at thedevice 22 for transmitting data to the base station 20 (Block 300).Processing then entails (directly or indirectly) initiating the changeresponsive to a set of one or more criteria pertaining to the powerheadroom metric having been met; namely, the power headroom metricfalling below a defined threshold for at least a defined length of time(Block 310). The defined threshold and/or the defined length of time areconfigured by the network in at least some embodiments. Of course, ahysteresis on the threshold may be defined to improve the stability ofchange initiation. Regardless, the device 22 detects, monitors, orotherwise determines whether these criteria pertaining to the powerheadroom metric have been met, in order to autonomously initiate thechange when those criteria are met.

As suggested above, initiating the change in FIG. 6 in some embodimentscomprises simply generating and transmitting the trigger 36, 38 of FIG.4A or 4B to a network node (e.g., base station 20 or RNC 24). Thetrigger 36, 38 in this case is a power headroom report indicating thatthe power headroom metric has fallen below the defined threshold for atleast the defined length of time. Since the network node is configuredto order the change or directly initiate the change responsive to thattrigger 36, 38, transmitting the trigger 36, 38 in this way amounts toindirectly initiating the change.

In other embodiments, though, the device 22 initiating the change inFIG. 6 comprises directly initiating the change by generating andtransmitting the ready signal 28 to the base station 20 (e.g., accordingto FIG. 4C). That is, rather than the change being triggered byreception of a signal from the base station 20 or RNC 24, the device 22autonomously and dynamically initiates the change itself. This of coursereduces the amount of control signaling between the base station/RNC anddevice 22, and speeds up the change process.

Irrespective of exactly how the change is initiated in FIG. 6, though,the device 22 in some embodiments is configured to compute the powerheadroom metric by performing instantaneous measurements (or otherprimitive measurements that are internal to the device) of the device'spower headroom. These instantaneous measurements each indicate an amountof power instantaneously available at the device 22 for transmittingdata to the base station 20. For instance, in HSPA embodiments, theinstantaneous power headroom measurements each comprise a ratio of themaximum device transmission power to the power of the uplink physicalcontrol channel, namely the Dedicated Physical Control Channel (DPCCH).When this ratio is low, the DPCCH is taking up a significant portion ofthe total power, leaving insufficient power for the transmission of userand control data. Regardless, having performed these instantaneousmeasurements, the device 22 then computes the power headroom metric byfiltering the instantaneous measurements in accordance with a filteringcondition, e.g., as supplied by the network. In one embodiment, forexample, the device 22 filters the measurements in accordance with anexponential filter defined by a specific filter constant. Such filterconstant in some embodiments is supplied by the base station 20 and/orRNC 24.

Note that at least in HSPA EUL embodiments a different type of powerheadroom metric than that described above may be carried in thescheduling information (SI), which is transmitted in-band on an enhanceddedicated channel (E-DCH). The SI is received and terminated in the basestation 20. This different type of power headroom metric may be computedby only filtering a primitive measurement in terms of a 100 ms average,e.g., as opposed to being filtered in accordance with theabove-described exponential filter. Moreover, the different type ofpower headroom metric is reported for scheduling, not for coveragemeasurement. And, even if the SI were to be configured for periodicreporting, the SI would not be triggered unless the device has data tosend. Accordingly, embodiments herein additionally or alternativelyreport a power headroom metric as described above with respect to FIGS.4A and 4B for coverage measurement.

Note that embodiments herein also include corresponding processingperformed at the base station 20 and/or RNC 24 for processing the powerheadroom report herein, e.g., in order to implement the radio bearerconfiguration or state change.

Although the embodiment of FIG. 6 has in large part been described in acontext involving the handshake of FIGS. 3A-3B and FIGS. 4A-4C, FIG. 6'sprocessing in some embodiments is performed without any such handshakeoccurring. For example, FIG. 6's processing in some embodiments simplytriggers known approaches to synchronous application of the change,e.g., where the RNC 24 centrally coordinates the timing of changeapplication rather than the device 22 and base station 20 performing thehandshake herein

Moreover, although the above embodiments have largely been describedapart from any particular wireless communication system type orstandard, apart from any particular type of radio bearer configurationor state change, and apart from any particular way of defining the timefor change application, embodiments below will focus on particularconcrete examples as specific contexts for change application. Theseexamples illustrates how the above embodiments may be applied to achievea robust EUL TTI switch (i.e., a dynamic TTI adaptation) that maximizesutilization of a 2 ms TTI by a device (i.e., UE) 22. In particular, theexamples exploit both the improved device-side triggering criteria basedon the device's power headroom (UPH) (i.e., as shown in FIG. 6), as wellas the faster and more robust switching procedure provided by ahandshake. The examples particularly illustrate the physical layer (L1)aspects of the handshake.

To provide context for the examples, FIG. 7 illustrates a mobilecommunication network in which the examples are applicable. The extentof EUL coverage for a 2 ms TTI is represented in FIG. 7 by the grayarea, including both a less densely gray area 46 and a more densely grayarea 48. The boundary between the areas 46 and 48 represents thelocation where a switch from the 2 ms TTI to the 10 ms TTI would beneeded with known approaches for a device 22 moving toward the boundarybetween RBS1's cell and RBS2's cell. Embodiments herein willadvantageously be able to push this boundary outwards and reduce area 46significantly. In fact, with embodiments herein that base triggering ofthe switch on device power headroom, the switch from the 2 ms TTI to the10 ms TTI may not be needed (meaning that no handshake is needed in thatcase).

FIG. 8 shows a first example illustrating embodiments from FIGS. 3C and4A in the context of a TTI switch. As shown in FIG. 8, during radiobearer setup or reconfiguration on EUL with the 2 ms TTI, the UE 22 isconfigured by an RRC message, namely, a Measurement Control (UPH)message, with the new UPH measurement with reporting criteria asdescribed above. Upon fulfillment of the reporting criteria, the UPHreport is triggered, whereupon the UE 22 sends an RRC message, namely aMeasurement Report message that includes the UPH report, to the RNC 24(Step 400). Upon reception of a UPH report, signaling the need of aswitch to 10 ms TTI, a conventional unsynchronized switch may be used tospeed up the process (since a conservative activation time is notneeded). However, the disadvantage of an unsynchronized switch is thatthe network does not know when the UE 22 will be switching and, as aresult, needs to perform blind TTI detection, i.e., to be ready toreceive transmissions with either TTI length. To avoid blind detection,known approaches may be used to implement a synchronized switch.However, to further enhance the performance of a synchronized switch,the example in FIG. 8 shows one alternative way of performing ahandshake between the UE 22 and the base station 20 on exactly when theswitch shall occur.

Specifically in this regard, the RNC 24 sends the UE 22 an order toswitch to the 10 ms TTI, i.e., sends a change command 34. The RNC 24does so by sending a Layer 3 (L3) message, e.g., RRC Radio BearerReconfiguration, to the UE 22 containing information for the targetconfiguration and an activation time of “now” with a device-to-basestation handshake (Step 401). Alternatively, the configurationinformation for the 10 ms TTI may be transmitted earlier and saved inthe UE 22 as a “stored configuration” so as to reduce the size of thechange command. The RNC 24 also informs the base station 20 of thechange command/switching order, e.g., using the Node B Application Part(NBAP) message Radio Link Reconfiguration. If existing RRC and NBAPmessages are used, they are extended with the information that adevice-to-base station handshake is to be performed.

After receiving the order, the UE 22 prepares for the TTI switch. The UE22 then starts the handshake (Step 402) by sending a ready signal 28(referred to here as a Ready to Switch signal) to the base station 20indicating that the UE 22 is ready to execute the switch. In someembodiments, the Ready to Switch signal indicates that the UE 22 isready to execute the switch at a predefined time after that signal.Regardless, in response to the Ready to Switch signal, the base station20 acknowledges the reception of the UE's Ready to Switch signal bysending an Order Signal+Acknowledgement 32 in the form of an HS Order(Step 403). This HS Order orders (i.e., commands or requests) the UE 22to perform the switch. If the UE 22 has not received thisacknowledgement within a predefined length of time, the UE 22 willretransmit the Ready to Switch signal in an effort to complete thehandshake with the base station 20. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the UE22 and base station 20 agree to synchronously apply the change at thefirst 10 ms boundary that occurs after a predefined time since the Readyto Switch signal is transmitted or received.

On reception of the Ready to Switch signal from the UE 22, the basestation 20 prepares to switch to the 10 ms TTI at the agreed-upon time.The UE 22 and base station 20 then synchronously switch to the 10 ms TTIat the agreed-upon time (Step 404).

The UE 22 next informs the RNC 24 of the switch via a L3 message, e.g.,the existing RRC message Radio Bearer Reconfiguration Complete (Step405). The RNC 24 in turn informs all base stations 20 in the Active Setof the UE 22 of the TTI switch (Step 406), in case some have missed somepart of the switching procedure due to poor radio quality.

FIG. 9 shows a second example of embodiments from FIGS. 3A, 3B and 4B inthe context of a TTI switch. As shown, the UE 22 is configured from thestart with configuration information for both 10 ms and 2 ms TTI, aswell as the TTI-switch criteria in terms of UPH measurements. Configuredin this way, rather than sending an RRC Measurement Report that includesthe UPH report to the RNC 24 as in FIG. 8, the UE 22 sends the UPHreport (e.g., in a dedicated message) to the base station 20 (Step 500).Upon reception of the UPH report, signaling the need of a switch to 10ms TTI, the base station 20 decodes the report without forwarding it tothe RNC 24. The base station 20 then directly initiates the handshake bysending an Order Signal 26 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) to the UE 22 in theform of an HS-SCCH Order (Step 501). This HS-SCCH Order orders (i.e.,commands or requests) the UE 22 to execute the TTI switch. Thistherefore gives the base station 20 better control of the timing of theswitch, since the base station 20 is the node actually initiating thehandshake. In at least some embodiments, a new HS-SCCH Order is definedspecifically for the purposes of ordering the TTI switch. Since theHS-SCCH order does not carry any additional information, theconfiguration information for the 10 ms TTI must be transmitted ahead oftime and stored in the UE.

After receiving the order, the UE 22 prepares for the TTI switch. The UE22 then participates in the already initiated handshake by sending aready signal 28 (referred to here as the Ready to Switch signal) to thebase station 20 indicating that the UE 22 is ready to execute the switch(Step 502). In embodiments based on FIG. 3A, this completes thehandshake. However, in embodiments based on FIG. 3B, the handshake iscompleted upon the base station 20 sending an acknowledgement 30 in theform of another HS-SCCH Order (Step 503) acknowledging the basestation's reception of the Ready to Switch signal. If the UE 22 has notreceived this acknowledgement within a predefined length of time, the UE22 will retransmit the Ready to Switch signal in an effort to performthe handshake with the base station 20. Similarly, in at least someembodiments, the base station 20 re-transmits the first HS-SCCH Order(Step 501) if the base station 20 does not receive the Ready to Switchsignal within a predefined length of time since sending that HS-SCCHOrder.

Notably, the RNC 24 is not directly involved in the switch thus far inFIG. 9. Moreover, interaction with the RRC protocol is eliminated. Thisfurther streamlines the process and speeds up the switch. This alsoreduces the amount of signaling performed.

Of course, the RNC 24 still should be notified about the switch at somepoint. In FIG. 9, therefore, after a successful switch, the base station20 attaches the TTI length to the Iub data frame to notify the MAC layerin the RNC 24 to switch to L2 settings that are optimized for the 10 msTTI. In soft-handover scenarios, the base station 20 in some embodimentsinforms the RNC 24 of a successful switch, e.g., via a control frame ofthe Iub frame protocol. The RNC 24 in one embodiment forwards thisinformation likewise to other base stations 20 in case the messagesexchanged during the handshake were missed due to temporary bad radioconditions at the other base stations.

FIG. 10 shows a third example of embodiments from FIGS. 3C and 4C in thecontext of a TTI switch, making the switch even more dynamic. As shown,responsive to determining that a set of one or more criteria pertainingto the UE's power headroom metric is met (e.g., falls below a definedthreshold for a defined length of time), the UE 22 directly starts thehandshake to initiate the change. Specifically in this regard, the UE 22sends the Ready to Switch signal to the base station 20 (Step 600),without first transmitting the UPH report message to the network as inFIGS. 8 and 9. This means that steps 500 and 501 in FIG. 9 are notperformed in FIG. 10.

Regardless, in response to the Ready to Switch signal, the base station20 acknowledges the reception of the UE's Ready to Switch signal bysending an Order Signal+Acknowledgement 32 in the form of an HS Order(Step 601). This HS Order orders the UE 22 to perform the switch. Steps602-604 in FIG. 10 then proceed in the same way as steps 504-506 in FIG.9, as described above.

The above examples of course focus on optimizing the 2 ms TTI to 10 msTTI switch. Optimization as above results in a faster and more robustswitch from EUL 2 ms TTI to 10 ms TTI triggered by insufficient coveragefor the 2 ms TTI. This maximizes the utilization of the 2 ms TTI of EUL,providing much improved end-user experience as a result. The same toolsdisclosed in the examples can be used for the switch from the 10 ms TTIback to 2 ms TTI. To avoid too many back-and-forth switches, thethreshold for the 10-2 switch can set higher than that of the 2-10switch to create a hysteresis between the two switches. In addition toproviding improved end-user experience, the optimization above also aidsthe call drop rate by improving the robustness of synchronizedreconfigurations in general. The embodiments herein therefore can alsobe used for improving other synchronized reconfigurations. That is, thehandshake procedure introduced herein may be used for enhancing otherradio bearer reconfigurations or state transitions that currentlyrequire a synchronized procedure.

In view of the above modifications and variations, those skilled in theart will appreciate that embodiments herein also include correspondingapparatus configured to perform the methods and processing describedabove. FIG. 11, for example, illustrates a wireless communication device22 according to one or more embodiments. As shown, the device 22includes one or more transceiver circuits 50 and one or more processing(and control) circuits 52. The one or more transceiver circuits 50 mayinclude various radio-frequency components (not shown) to receive andprocess radio signals from one or more base stations 20, via one or moreantennas 54, using known signal processing techniques. The one or moreprocessing circuits 52 may comprise one or more microprocessors, digitalsignal processors, and the like. The one or more processing circuits 52may also comprise other digital hardware and a memory (e.g., ROM, RAM,cache, flash, etc.) that stores program code for executing one or morecommunications protocols and for carrying out one or more of thetechniques described herein. Of course, not all of the steps of thesetechniques are necessarily performed in a single microprocessor or evenin a single module. Thus, FIG. 11 presents a more generalized view ofthe processing circuits 52 as functionally including a change controlcircuit 56 configured to perform the device processing described herein,e.g., in FIGS. 2 and 6. Those skilled in the art will appreciate,though, that the apparatus of FIG. 11 in some embodiments includes oneor more functional (software) means or modules for performing theprocessing described herein, e.g., where different means or modulesperform the different processing steps of FIGS. 2 and/or 6. In one suchembodiment, these one or more functional means or modules areimplemented as a computer program running on a processor.

FIG. 12 illustrates a network node (e.g., a base station 20 or RNC 24)according to one or more embodiments. The network node includes one ormore communication interfaces 58 and one or more processing (andcontrol) circuits 60. Where the network node is a base station 20, thenode also includes one or more transceiver circuits 62. The one or morecommunication interfaces 58 are configured to communicatively connectthe network node to other network nodes. The one or more transceivercircuits 62, where present, may include various radio-frequencycomponents (not shown) to receive and process radio signals from one ormore wireless communication devices 22, via one or more antennas 64,using known signal processing techniques. The one or more processingcircuits 60 may comprise one or more microprocessors, digital signalprocessors, and the like. The one or more processing circuits 60 mayalso comprise other digital hardware and a memory (e.g., ROM, RAM,cache, flash, etc.) that stores program code for executing one or morecommunications protocols and for carrying out one or more of thetechniques described herein. Of course, not all of the steps of thesetechniques are necessarily performed in a single microprocessor or evenin a single module. Thus, FIG. 12 presents a more generalized view ofthe processing circuits 60 as functionally including a change controlcircuit 66. Where the node is a base station 20, the change controlcircuit 66 is configured to perform the method of FIG. 2. Where the nodeis an RNC 24, the change control circuit 66 is configured to perform themethod of FIG. 5. Those skilled in the art will appreciate, though, thatthe network node of FIG. 12 in some embodiments includes one or morefunctional (software) means or modules for performing the processingdescribed herein, e.g., where different means or modules perform thedifferent processing steps of FIGS. 2 and/or 5. In one such embodiment,these one or more functional means or modules are implemented as acomputer program running on a processor.

The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other ways thanthose specifically set forth herein without departing from essentialcharacteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are to beconsidered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and allchanges coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appendedclaims are intended to be embraced therein.

Abbreviations

-   CFN Connection Frame Number-   DPCCH Dedicated Physical Control Channel-   E-DCH Enhanced Dedicated Channel-   E-DPCCH E-DCH Dedicated Physical Control Channel-   E-DPDCH E-DCH Dedicated Physical Data Channel-   E-TFCI E-DCH Transport Format Combination Indicator-   EUL Enhanced Uplink-   HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request-   HS-SCCH HS-DSCH Shared Control Channel-   L2 Layer 2 (data link layer)-   L3 Layer 3 (network layer)-   RNC Radio Network Controller-   SI Scheduling Information-   TTI Transmission Time Interval-   TTT Time-to-trigger-   UL Uplink-   UPH UE Power Headroom

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for applying a change to a configurationor state of a radio bearer, the radio bearer supporting the transfer ofdata over a radio connection between a wireless communication device anda base station with defined data transfer characteristics, the methodperformed by a first device that is one of: i) the wirelesscommunication device and ii) the base station, the method comprising:the first device performing a handshake with a second device that is theother one of: i) the wireless communication device and ii) the basestation to agree on a time to synchronously apply the change at thewireless communication device and the base station, wherein thehandshake comprises the first device transmitting a first signal andobtaining a second signal that is responsive to the first signal,wherein the agreed-on time is after the first and second signal of thehandshake; and in accordance with the agreement, the first devicesynchronously applying the change at the agreed-on time.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the handshake includes the wireless communicationdevice sending a ready signal to the base station indicating to the basestation that the wireless communication device is ready to apply thechange.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the ready signal comprises anout-of-band control signal transmitted without an accompanying datachannel, wherein the out-of-band control signal is nominally configuredto indicate one or more characteristics associated with such anaccompanying data channel but indicates one or more characteristics thatare not expected to be or that cannot be associated with anyaccompanying data channel.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein theout-of-band control signal indicates a transport format combination thatis not expected to be or that cannot be a transport format combinationfor any accompanying data channel.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein thehandshake includes the base station sending the wireless communicationdevice an order signal ordering the wireless communication device toperform the change.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the order signalcomprises a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel, HS-DSCH, Shared ControlChannel, HS-SCCH, order.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the handshakeincludes the wireless communication device sending a ready signal to thebase station indicating to the base station that the wirelesscommunication device is ready to apply the change, and includes the basestation, responsive to receiving the ready signal, sending the wirelesscommunication device an order signal ordering the wireless communicationdevice to perform the change.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the timeat which the wireless communication device and the base station agree tosynchronously apply the change is defined relative to when a signalutilized for the handshake is transmitted or received.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein performing the handshake comprises initiating thehandshake responsive to receiving a change command from a radio networkcontroller directing that the change be applied as soon as possible andthat the handshake be initiated, wherein the change command does notindicate a specific time for application of the change.
 10. The methodof claim 1, further comprising evaluating whether a set of one or morecriteria has been met pertaining to one or more metrics computed by thewireless communication device, and wherein performing the handshakecomprises determining to initiate the handshake in response todetermining that the set of one or more criteria has been met.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the one or more metrics comprises a powerheadroom metric that indicates an amount of power available at thewireless communication device for transmitting data to the base station,and wherein the evaluating comprises evaluating whether the powerheadroom metric has fallen below a defined threshold for at least adefined length of time.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the change isa change in the length of a transmission time interval of the radiobearer.
 13. An apparatus configured to apply a change to a configurationor state of a radio bearer, the radio bearer supporting the transfer ofdata over a radio connection between a wireless communication device anda base station with defined data transfer characteristics, the apparatusbeing one of: i) the wireless communication device and ii) the basestation, the apparatus comprising: one or more transceiver circuitsconfigured to transmit and receive signals via one or more antennas; andone or more processing circuits configured to: perform a handshake witha second device that is the other one of: i) the wireless communicationdevice and ii) the base station to agree on a time to synchronouslyapply the change at the wireless communication device and the basestation, wherein the handshake comprises the first device transmitting afirst signal and obtaining a second signal that is responsive to thefirst signal, wherein the agreed-on time is after the first signal andthe second signal of the handshake; and in accordance with theagreement, synchronously apply the change at the time.
 14. The apparatusof claim 13, wherein the handshake includes the wireless communicationdevice sending a ready signal to the base station indicating to the basestation that the wireless communication device is ready to apply thechange.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ready signalcomprises an out-of-band control signal transmitted without anaccompanying data channel, wherein the out-of-band control signal isnominally configured to indicate one or more characteristics associatedwith such an accompanying data channel but indicates one or morecharacteristics that are not expected to be or that cannot be associatedwith any accompanying data channel.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15,wherein the out-of-band control signal indicates a transport formatcombination that is not expected to be or that cannot be a transportformat combination for any accompanying data channel.
 17. The apparatusof claim 13, wherein the handshake includes the base station sending thewireless communication device an order signal ordering the wirelesscommunication device to perform the change.
 18. The apparatus of claim17, wherein the order signal comprises a High Speed Downlink SharedChannel, HS-DSCH, Shared Control Channel, HS-SCCH, order.
 19. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the handshake includes the wirelesscommunication device sending a ready signal to the base stationindicating to the base station that the wireless communication device isready to apply the change, and includes the base station, responsive toreceiving the ready signal, sending the wireless communication device anorder signal ordering the wireless communication device to perform thechange.
 20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the time at which thewireless communication device and the base station agree tosynchronously apply the change is defined relative to when a signalutilized for the handshake is transmitted or received.
 21. The apparatusof claim 13, wherein the one or more processing circuits are furtherconfigured to initiate the handshake responsive to receiving a changecommand from a radio network controller directing that the change beapplied as soon as possible and that the handshake be initiated, whereinthe change command does not indicate a specific time for application ofthe change.
 22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the one or moreprocessing circuits are further configured to: evaluate whether a set ofone or more criteria has been met pertaining to one or more metricscomputed by the wireless communication device; and determine to initiatethe handshake in response to determining that the set of one or morecriteria has been met.
 23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the one ormore metrics comprises a power headroom metric that indicates an amountof power available at the wireless communication device for transmittingdata to the base station, and wherein the one or more processingcircuits are further configured to evaluate whether the power headroommetric has fallen below a defined threshold for at least a definedlength of time.
 24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the change is achange in the length of a transmission time interval of the radiobearer.
 25. A wireless communication device configured to change aconfiguration or state of a radio bearer, the radio bearer supportingthe transfer of data over a radio connection between the wirelesscommunication device and a base station with defined data transfercharacteristics, the wireless communication device comprising: one ormore transceiver circuits configured to transmit signals and to receivesignals via one or more antennas; and one or more processing circuitsconfigured to: determine whether a set of one or more criteria has beenmet; and, in response to determining that the set of one or morecriteria has been met, initiate a handshake between the wirelesscommunication device and the base station in order to agree on a timefor the wireless communication device and the base station tosynchronously apply a change to the configuration or state of the radiobearer, wherein the handshake is initiated after the wirelesscommunication device transmits a trigger message to the base station oris initiated without the wireless communication device firsttransmitting any trigger message to the base station.
 26. The device ofclaim 25, wherein the trigger message comprises a signal indicating theoccurrence of a particular event.
 27. The device of claim 25, whereinthe one or more criteria comprises one or more of: the wirelesscommunication device operating at a maximum output power for apredetermined amount of time or a power headroom of the wirelesscommunication device indicating that a power headroom metric has fallenbelow a defined threshold.
 28. A method for changing a configuration orstate of a radio bearer, the radio bearer supporting the transfer ofdata over a radio connection between a wireless communication device anda base station with defined data transfer characteristics, the methodcomprising: evaluating, by the wireless communication device, whether aset of one or more criteria has been met; and, in response todetermining that the set of one or more criteria has been met,initiating, by the wireless communication device, a handshake betweenthe wireless communication device and the base station in order to agreeon a time for the wireless communication device and the base station tosynchronously apply a change to the configuration or state of the radiobearer, wherein the handshake is initiated after the wirelesscommunication device transmits a trigger message to the base station oris initiated without the wireless communication device firsttransmitting any trigger message to the base station.
 29. A deviceconfigured to change a configuration or state of a radio bearer, theradio bearer supporting the transfer of data over a radio connectionbetween a wireless communication device and a base station with defineddata transfer characteristics, the device comprising one of a basestation or a radio network controller (RNC) and further comprising: oneor more transceiver circuits configured to transmit signals and toreceive signals via one or more antennas; and one or more processingcircuits configured to: obtain a trigger message from the wirelesscommunication device, the trigger message comprising a signal indicatingthat one or more criteria has been met pertaining to one or more metricscomputed by the wireless communication device; and in response toobtaining the trigger message, initiate a handshake between the wirelesscommunication device and the base station in order to agree on a timefor the wireless communication device and the base station tosynchronously apply a change to the configuration or state of the radiobearer.
 30. A method performed by one of a base station or a radionetwork controller for changing a configuration or state of a radiobearer, the radio bearer supporting the transfer of data over a radioconnection between a wireless communication device and a base stationwith defined data transfer characteristics, the method comprising:obtaining a trigger message from the wireless communication device, thetrigger message comprising a signal indicating that one or more criteriahas been met pertaining to one or more metrics computed by the wirelesscommunication device; and in response to obtaining the trigger message,initiating a handshake between the wireless communication device and thebase station in order to agree on a time for the wireless communicationdevice and the base station to synchronously apply a change to theconfiguration or state of the radio bearer.
 31. A method for applying achange to a configuration or state of a radio bearer, the radio bearersupporting the transfer of data over a radio connection between awireless communication device and a base station with defined datatransfer characteristics, the method performed by a first device that isone of: i) the wireless communication device and ii) the base station,the method comprising: the first device performing a handshake with asecond device that is the other one of: i) the wireless communicationdevice and ii) the base station to agree on a time to synchronouslyapply the change at the wireless communication device and the basestation, wherein the handshake comprises the first device obtaining afirst signal and transmitting a second signal that is responsive to thefirst signal, wherein the agreed-on time is after the first and secondsignal of the handshake; and in accordance with the agreement, the firstdevice synchronously applying the change at the agreed-on time.
 32. Anapparatus configured to apply a change to a configuration or state of aradio bearer, the radio bearer supporting the transfer of data over aradio connection between a wireless communication device and a basestation with defined data transfer characteristics, the apparatus beingone of: i) the wireless communication device and ii) the base station,the apparatus comprising: one or more transceiver circuits configured totransmit and receive signals via one or more antennas; and one or moreprocessing circuits configured to: perform a handshake with a seconddevice that is the other one of: i) the wireless communication deviceand ii) the base station to agree on a time to synchronously apply thechange at the wireless communication device and the base station,wherein the handshake comprises the first device obtaining a firstsignal and transmitting a second signal that is responsive to the firstsignal, wherein the agreed-on time is after the first signal and thesecond signal of the handshake; and in accordance with the agreement,synchronously apply the change at the time.